Refurbishing secondary office buildings isn’t just a design challenge – it’s a knowledge gap. While the economic and environmental case for retrofit continues to strengthen, planning pathways remain slow, inconsistent and unpredictable, particularly for mid-century and modernist stock.
To accelerate progress, we propose the creation of a national “design and planning knowledge bank”: a shared, open-access repository of successful refurbishment strategies, aligned to different architectural eras and typologies. This resource would provide planners and developers with concrete precedents, help de-risk proposals, fast-track decisions and ensure that essential upgrades don’t come at the cost of architectural character.
Local planning officers are often comfortable navigating heritage decisions for Victorian or Edwardian buildings, but when it comes to post-war architecture, confidence and familiarity are lower.
As Alex Smith, an architect and partner at Sheppard Robson, put it:
“Planners, like many professionals across the built environment – are so accustomed to dealing with refurbishment of, say, heritage Victorian buildings, where they know they can get the stonemason, the joiner, the master craftspeople to do that. But when you’re looking at modern heritage – replacing, say, a heritage uninsulated modernist curtain walling system – they’re considering, ‘Well, we’re not familiar with those methodologies.’ They often take more time because they’re gaining understanding as they go. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) are looking into how we approach post-1950 buildings and bring them up to scratch in a 21st-century context.”
While a national knowledge bank would assist in bridging this gap, others argue we can, and should, go further. Danielle St Pierre, a director at Hybrid Planning and Development, suggested that reforming current legislation could provide a more direct route to enabling change:
“Existing planning law provides a raft of ‘Permitted Works’ (that can be carried out without the need for planning permission) for extensions and alterations to existing commercial premises, but these are not widely utilised in practice due to their limited application (they may for instance only permit changes to the ground floor and prevent alterations to properties in a conservation area, etc.). There is an opportunity for the government to extend these rights, for example, to allow window replacements, façade improvements, lift overruns, etc., all of which would aid in bringing existing buildings up to modern standards. Tweaking these statutes could facilitate such changes without the need for lengthy planning approvals.”
While the concept of a national knowledge bank is valuable, roundtable participants clearly preferred a regional or localised approach to implementation – one that reflects the diversity of office stock across the UK. Mark Leeson, operations director at McBains – a leading property and construction consultancy –and a member of the British Council of Offices’ Technical Affairs Committee, said:
“My preference is probably regional over national, because national is going to take too long. By the time national policy filters down, the regions may ignore it anyway. It’s better to look at office stock at the local authority level, just like we do with housing. … While 1950s and ’60s buildings follow a common theme nationally, there are still regional variations.”
A regionally adaptable framework would empower local authorities to tailor guidance to their own stock profiles and development contexts, while still contributing to a broader national picture of best practice.
If we want to future-proof more of our existing stock, we need planning to work as a partner, not a blocker. Knowledge sharing – both upwards and across regions – is the first step.
In an eight-part weekly series, the London real estate team will share insights drawn from a roundtable attended by a group of cross-practice industry experts to discuss the issues posed by subprime or so-called secondary offices with a view to proposing innovative, workable solutions. Each article focuses on a key “call for action” – a targeted idea to support those grappling with the realities of an evolving office market. Readers will hear directly from discussion participants, with selected quotes and real-life examples that bring to life the creative thinking and grounded advice contributors shared. To receive future updates on this topic, please email [email protected].